How it all works. Part 1 – my rainwater catcher

With less than three months before Gaiasdream sets off for her world-first circumnavigation, I thought it’s about time I told you more about some of the boat’s special features, starting with one of the many environmentally friendly technologies I’ve installed.

Water is always a challenge for long distance sailors. Many modern yachts carry a “watermaker” that turn seawater into drinking water. But these are expensive, use a lot of energy, and require maintenance.

One thing Gaiasdream has is lots of is space. I rigged up a special system to catch rain water from the roof of the main cabin and pipe it directly into the boat’s main water tanks. Whenever it starts raining I simply wait till the rain has rinsed any salt and grime from the roof and then open a valve to start collecting the rainwater.

For each 1mm of rain I collect 11 litres of water. Which means it only takes a few Sydney cloudbursts to fill the tank.

And unlike the energy-intensive water heaters in many houses, my hot water system recycles heat from Gaiasdream’s veggie-oil powered engine. So after a good downpour and a few mins of running the engine it’s guilt-free hot showers all round!